WHEREAS, despite Vermont's efforts to broaden the availability and affordability of health care, there remains a severe and continuing health care crisis in Vermont; and

WHEREAS, almost 62,000 Vermonters do not have health insurance; and

WHEREAS, approximately 8,500 Vermont businesses do not provide health insurance to their workers and many employers have reduced coverage and / or increased the employee's contribution for premiums and co-pays; and

WHEREAS, Vermonters who are self-employed or employees of small business are in especially dire need of reliable and affordable health care coverage, and

WHEREAS, health care spending on Vermont residents totaled $2.6 billion in 2001 (14% of Gross State Product), an 11.5% increase from 2000; and

WHEREAS, health care expenditures in Vermont have increased over 90% in the last nine years, while inflation was only 23% during the same period.

WHEREAS, it is evident that state efforts to address health care accessibility and affordability have not solved the problem and that we can no longer afford to tinker at the margins of a system that has proven incapable of meeting our needs.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Burlington City Council calls upon the General Assembly to develop and adopt legislation in 2004 for an effective and universal system of health care to alleviate the crisis now confronting Vermonters; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the goals of a comprehensive health care program must include:

continued high quality care;

cost containment;

universal coverage;

equitable long-term financing mechanisms;

free choice of providers;

uniform reimbursement; and

transparent and effective accountability measures; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council requests that this resolution be distributed to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, President Pro-Tem of the Senate, Burlington's state legislative delegation, and Vermont's congressional delegation.